Trying Real Hard to Read This Book

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grin willard

"Keep the change, you filthy animal!"
Feb 21, 2017
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I really could not get hold of this or The Talisman. I really don't want to get into it, but especially with 'House', I just somehow could not follow the narrative. With The Talisman, the otherworldly stuff just left me cold. It just wasn't what I was looking for. This ain't going to be popular, but I would probably have liked them both better if each author's name had been put on their respective chapters. Stephen King: bla bla bla bla. Peter Straub: bla bla bla bla. I love Pete Straub! But if anything, he's more uneven than Stephen King. More literary, but more uneven. Both have written masterpieces. 'Ghost Story' was Straub's 'The Haunting of Hill House'. He'll write more very fine books I'm sure, but he'll never equal it. I tend to think King's greatest work still lies ahead of him.
 

Towerbent BreakSlinger

Well-Known Member
Sep 25, 2016
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There seemed to be some sort of shift around page fifty or so. I liked the fly-over idea...or fly-on-the-wall idea...and that happens in the first fifty pages. Maybe because the story is not focused through one single character for those pages the reader senses a distance and it is therefore difficult to draw close to the story. But like GNTLGNT/Scott...dunno is he is a two tee Scott or a one tee...I think two...anyway, like he said, the character of Henry is a blast, as are the Thunder Five and all the rest. Wendell Green...I think that is the name of the reporter...is a character one can easily despise...and that old coot in the home. He's a piece-of-work. I enjoyed that it takes place in Wisconsin and although I've been through the area more than a few times, I've never had occasion to seek out any of the places therein. That might could have helped me a bit to stay focused on the story. If you get the chance, tell me/us what your take on the "eye" of the story opener is...as in, what, a crow? a bee? or just a spirit? I might have had a definite opinion on what the eye-piece is in that opener but time has taken the shine off that conclusion.
I always felt like the view is that of the wind / narrator (who happens to be Steve) and I thought it inspired maybe by the view Gorg had, but who wants gorg's view all day?
 

Towerbent BreakSlinger

Well-Known Member
Sep 25, 2016
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48
hi

i am having the same problem 3 times i have tried to read this book and couldn't i don't know what it is. has anyone read it, is it worth keep on reading
It is to me absolutely worth reading, but then I followed very easily the loose flow- the book is essentially giving you an overview of the town in the first few chapters, because the situation appears normal on the surface, but underneath there's a very serious oddity going on - forget this is a Steven King book read it as though this is all actually happening somewhere, let yourself accept these people and the small town life they live and just how .. bent some of it is. But every person in the book is realized. There are no half assed characters in the book- everyone is a real person with goals dreams hopes greats and their own responses to the issues of life the book is focused on jack yes but if you only came to read about jack you will miss some great stuff. It's a much bigger story than the Talisman and isn't the talisman 2 lol
 

moomby

Member
Mar 26, 2017
7
23
I have picked this book up and started reading about 5 times now. Time goes by between each attempt. I don't understand why the first 20 or so pages just do not sink into my mind. It's like I can't envision the story being told or something. Very strange. This is the only book by King that I do this with. Anyone else have a hard time following this story? Maybe it was because it is co-written with Peter Straub?

So glad that others feel the same. I wonder if it's Peter Straub? Weird, because I loved the Talisman, but the smallest stylistic things irked me here ("now we will pull away from this interesting scene").
 

Keith72

Well-Known Member
Feb 18, 2017
59
257
51
dublin, Ireland
I have picked this book up and started reading about 5 times now. Time goes by between each attempt. I don't understand why the first 20 or so pages just do not sink into my mind. It's like I can't envision the story being told or something. Very strange. This is the only book by King that I do this with. Anyone else have a hard time following this story? Maybe it was because it is co-written with Peter Straub?
No, your not alone, I found it very hard to get into, this (i think) is the follow up to The Tailsman and for some reason, I can't get into either of these or The DT series.